The Casablanca Hotel-Casino in Mesquite, Nevada, will need to pay over $2,000 in slots jackpots to Rhon Wilson, a player who was previously kicked out of the venue, but decided to violate the trespass statute, re-enter the casino, and keep gambling.

He Did Now Pay for His Drink

Originally, Wilson was escorted out of the casino because he failed to pay for a drink. However, over the course of the following months, Wilson came back to the casino several times and won slot jackpots on three different occasions.

According to the split 2-to-1 vote from the Nevada Gaming Control Board, the Casablanca casino will have to pay the $2,045.18 jackpot that the gambler won while trespassing the property he had been banned from. The regulator argued that most casino operators would not take the time to track down all of their trespassed patrons who had lost money and pay them back. 

NGBC’s chair and executive director, Kirk Henrick, mentioned the board’s rich history of asking operators to pau patrons who had won a jackpot while also emphasizing that there were no written policies on this topic as part of the regulations. Henrick further explained that, provided a casino’s staff would pose a ban on a patron, it is partially the operator’s responsibility to make sure that the respective patron does not enter the premises without their consent. 

Not Wanting to Award Bad Behavior

However, according to fellow panel member George Assad, the fact that a certain policy has existed for several years should not mean that it should be applied in the present. 

According to the retired Las Vegas Municipal Court’s judge, casinos should focus on discouraging “that type of illegal activity” by not paying trespassers, even if they lose money. Assad reiterated that he does not want to reward “bad behavior.”

Mesquite Gaming LLC’s vice president of security and government affairs, Dick Tomasso, explained to the three-panel members that Wilson preferred to pay a misdemeanor fine and go back to the venue to gamble. 

Tomasso further argued that the patron knew the current gaming enforcement policy would let him hold on to his winnings, based on three past occurrences when he was caught in a similar position of violating a trespass statute. 

The VP of security and government affairs emphasized that the player had broken the law to enter their casino and gamble, thus committing a crime to place a wager, emphasizing the “profound effect” of the board’s ruling on all Nevada licensees. 

This did not convince chairman Hendrick and board member Brittnie Watkins, who considered it more important for licensees to pay jackpots to winning patrons, in spite of being convicted of a misdemeanor. The board’s decision is a final one that does not have to be considered by the Nevada Gaming Commission. The matter will be further addressed at a forthcoming regulatory workshop that will take place on October 18.

At the end of August, Nevada’s gambling regulator reported the total gaming win in July had reached the $1.4 billion mark, showcasing an excellent growth year-over-year.  In July, the same body issued a warning regarding an increase in the number of scams targeting casinos via social engineering tactics.

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Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Netherlands Gambling Authority, has intensified its regulatory efforts by issuing enforcement notices to Winning Poker Network and Goldwin for operating without the necessary licenses in the country.

Winning Poker Network, following an investigation in September 2022, was found to allow Dutch players to participate in online casino games through its platforms, including americascardroom.eu and truepoker.eu.

Despite previous assurances to discontinue these practices, a subsequent inquiry revealed that a separate account could easily be created on TruePoker, enabling continued access for Dutch players. As a result, KSA has imposed periodic penalty payments of up to €75,000 on Winning Poker Network until the violations are rectified.

Goldwin, operating through its platform WestCasino, was also discovered to offer online gambling services without the appropriate license.

KSA found evidence of Dutch players accessing the site between March 2022 and February 2023, prompting the issuance of penalties. While Goldwin has since cleaned up the offending material, it remains subject to further penalty payments if it re-engages in unlawful activities. Both Winning Poker Network and Goldwin have the option to appeal these decisions.

René Jansen, Chairman of KSA, underscored the importance of legal compliance among gambling providers, emphasizing that a regulated market can only be achieved by curbing illegal operations. The KSA is committed to protecting consumers and maintaining the integrity of the gambling industry through rigorous enforcement actions.

The KSA’s enforcement efforts have been ongoing this year, with several operators facing penalties for various infractions. Recently, Bingoal, an online gambling provider, received a second financial sanction amounting to €400,000 for targeting young adults (aged 18-24) with their advertisements. This followed a €350,000 penalty in February when players were able to access the site without consulting the Cruks self-exclusion system for a limited period in June 2022.

As the KSA continues its regulatory campaign, operators are urged to abide by the licensing requirements and consumer protection measures set forth by the authority. Compliance with these regulations is crucial in establishing a safe and responsible gambling environment in the Netherlands.

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A 23-year-old Norwalk, Connecticut resident surrendered to police earlier this week after his alleged participation in an elaborate gambling scam. The man, identified as Sebastian Echeverri, allegedly win nearly $50,000 by cheating in a virtual casino operation and using multiple online accounts that belonged to him, a report released by Patch reveals.

The 23-year-old man was charged with cheating, as well as first-degree larceny. After surrendering to police authorities Wednesday, he was released on a $50,000 bond. Echeverri is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court next month, on April 20, 2023.

The young man reportedly was able to defraud the online casino out of at least $47,000 through an elaborate scam. Working as a shuffler for a live casino, he allegedly rigged the cards or memorized them, before engaging in betting activities via multiple DraftKings accounts that belonged to him.

At least one of the three uncovered accounts that allegedly belonged to Echeverri was noticed for “suspicious gaming activity” between July 2022 and December 2022. It is believed that the young man used unfair advantage for at least 26 separate gaming sessions.

Manipulating Cards for Advantageous Bets

The charges against Echeverri and the uncovered scam come after an investigation was launched into the illicit activity. The scam itself, state police claim, was uncovered by Evolution, the famous gaming company that provides online live casino games hosting for operators such as FanDuel and DraftKings. This online segment of iGaming content has been continuously gaining popularity and many operators have engaged with such offering that delivers immersive gambling entertainment via live action.

“Investigators reviewed video footage from Evolution relative to the games suspected to have been manipulated by Echeverri. The videos appeared to depict Echeverri actively examining the sequence of the cards on which he would subsequently place bets,“

explains a statement released by state police

The scam was reportedly uncovered by Evolution during its usual monitoring processes. At the company, Echeverri was a shuffler, a job that involved the preparation, including the shuffling of cards before a dealer uses them for a live stream. According to police authorities, the accounts belonging to the young man “demonstrated a pattern of placing abnormally high bets after Echeverri had handled the cards.”

Given his role, he had access to cards that are used in live streams, allowing him to memorize the flow of cards. In some cases, Echeverri allegedly even tampered with the sequence of cards, allowing him to know how the game would play out. This granted him the option to take advantage of games and bets through his online accounts.

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Boyd Gaming has used digital to enhance its land-based operations in recent years. The Las Vegas (Paradise) Nevada-based company is still owned by family members of founder Sam Boyd who opened his first casino in 1975.

The last week has revealed success in the company’s focus on local Las Vegas gamblers through properties such as the iconic Fremont Hotel & Casino located Downtown in the heart of the Fremont Street Experience and other locals-friendly venues like Gold Coast, Main Street Station, and Sam’s Town.

The company posted Q4 2022 revenues of $922.9m, beating out its $879.8m take for the same quarter last year. The Las Vegas locals market drove the earnings. Net income was up more than 57% with fourth-quarter earnings of $172.7m compared to $109.8m for the fourth quarter of 2021.

Digital Growth Supports Land-based Sector

Keith Smith focused on future earnings opportunities in a recent investor call saying that the company will continue with a strategy of increasing growth in the digital sector in order to further support the land-based casinos.

“We took an important step forward in our online growth strategy with our recent acquisition of Pala Interactive, which gives us the talent and technology to begin building our regional online casino business,” Smith said.

“While online casinos are now limited to just a few states, we believe in the long-term potential from igaming. Owning and operating our own igaming operation will allow us to leverage our nationwide portfolio and extensive customer database to create a profitable online casino business,” he added.

Total Boyd Gaming revenue for the year was up 3.8% to $3.56b, outshining the company’s previous record of $3.70b.

While gaming costs were up and revenue was down slightly, the company more than made up for it in other metrics including food and beverage revenue up 20%, rooms revenue rose 22.7%, and other revenue was up 48.2%.

Focusing on continued organic growth, Smith said: “While the opportunities from online and land-based reinvestments are compelling, we also believe there is upside from continued organic growth in our existing operations, particularly in hotel revenues, meeting, and convention business, and other non-gaming revenues,” Smith said.

Official Exclusive Sponsor of Las Vegas Raiders

Boyd Gaming’s 10 casinos in the Las Vegas Valley were named as the Official and Exclusive Local Casinos of the Las Vegas Raiders and Allegiant Stadium, according to the official website of the LV Raiders, Raider Nation. Boyd Gaming was a Founding Partner of Allegiant Stadium, and the company will get prominent signage and brand placement at Allegiant, including rebranding the west side of the stadium’s upper deck with the company’s brands.

Boyd will be the “presenting partner” of one home game each year, and the weekly radio show will be “Presented by Boyd.” Fans can also expect to see the operator’s name on regular customer promotions, communications, and advertisements.

Keith Smith, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Gaming said: “Since arriving in Las Vegas, the Raiders have greatly enhanced and strengthened our city’s reputation as the Entertainment and Sports Capital of the World, giving fans across the country another reason to visit southern Nevada. The Raiders have been equally committed to our community off the field, giving back generously to nonprofit organizations and charitable causes across the Las Vegas Valley. Boyd is proud to partner with an organization and team that share our long-standing commitment to the well-being of the southern Nevada community.”

Las Vegas Raiders President Sandra Douglass Morgan added: “We are proud to partner with Boyd Gaming, who share our values of integrity and commitment to community. We know that with this respected partner, we will be able to provide Raider Nation with even more exciting activations and experiences.”

Source: Boyd Gaming named Official and Exclusive Local Casinos of the Las Vegas Raiders and Allegiant Stadium, Raider Nation, February 3, 2023

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